Israel on Saturday conducted air strikes targeting military sites in Iran in response to the ballistic missile attack on October 1. Multiple powerful explosions were heard in Tehran, and the neighboring city of Karaj, according to reports.
The Israeli military said that the strikes are in response to “relentless attacks” from Iran and its proxies since October 7, adding that it has the “right and the duty to respond.”
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran. The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th—on seven fronts—including direct attacks from Iranian soil. Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” said IDF in a post on X.
Residents in Tehran reported hearing explosions, with state-run media initially acknowledging the blasts and saying some of the sounds to air defense systems around the city. “It was so loud and the sky became red,” said an Iranian resident in Tehran.
Israel has earlier announced to retaliate against Iran following a missile attack on October 1, marking the second direct assault on Israel by Tehran within a six-month period.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials had warned Israel against initiating any offensive, stating that “any strike on Iran would be met with a stronger retaliation.”
The airstrikes were launched just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was returning to the US after a Middle East tour, during which he and other US officials warned Israel to provide a response that would not escalate the regional conflict further and avoid targeting nuclear sites in Iran.
